SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is the red herring of the internet. Everybody is selling it, and most people don’t understand it. To tell the truth, there are a lot of people selling SEO services that don’t have a clue about what it really means.

I take a no-nonsense approach to Search Engine Optimization. There is no magic that lasts, and there are no ways to outsmart Google long-term. Anybody selling these kind of schemes is likely to do more harm to your website than they will do good.

I have been doing Search Engine Optimization since 1997, and while the techniques have changed, the reality of what makes a quality Search Engine Friendly website is the same.

There are 3 main aspects to optimizing your website for search (and a fourth that is just as important as the first 3.)

1. Structural Optimization

You can think of this as laying a solid foundation for the website. Simply put, your website has to be constructed in a way that search engines can find what they are looking for. This means that the coding on the website is done properly. This means that the HTML, JavaScript, and PHP code is written in a way that search engines can read it.

It also means that the search engine spiders (computers that gather information for the search engines), can read the navigation on your website. The menus have to be coded properly. It also means that you can’t use flash coding for your navigation. Once your site is functional on a basic level, we can add descriptive tags and text to tell the search engines extra information about your site.

I will go through your website structure and identify stumbling blocks for search engines, and fix them for you.

2. On-Page Content Optimization

On-Page content is the most important part of Search Engine Optimization. If you don’t have useful, relevant content on your website, your website is worthless. Google’s goal is to serve their visitors the most relevant content that they can. The obvious answer to this is to create the most relevant content that you can for your visitors. Make your site the authority site that Google will want to rank first.

I won’t try to game Google for you. It’s not worth my time, and it’s not worth your money. Google will find out, and they will give you the boot. They only way to win long term is to put consistently good content out on a regular basis.

I can help you identify keywords and topics to write about that will give Google the signal that your website is an authority website in your field. If you need help with writing the articles, I have a number of copywriters that I work with, who can help you create the website content that you need to become a dominant force.

3. Off-Page Optimization

Off Page Optimization refers to getting other people to link to your website, or creating links to your website from other websites. Off-Page SEO is very important to search engines. It is how Google and other search engines weigh the authority of a website. If 100 people have created links to your website, and only 1 person has linked to your competitor, it’s obvious that you have the more important website.

But, it isn’t that simple. Google also looks at who is linking to your site, and how much of an authority they are. For instance, a link from Wikipedia is worth more than a link from your aunt Mildred’s blog that nobody reads.

And, links from within your industry or topic are more useful to you than links from unrelated areas.

TIP:Awesome On-Page Content is a great way to get people to link to you.

I will help you with strategies for acquiring links from relevant sources so that you can put a plan into place for becoming the authority site that is worthy of the highest search rankings.

4. BONUS Write for People – NOT Just Search Engines

Don’t forget that the visitors you want to sell to are HUMAN. If you try to write for SEO only, you will end up with a pile of drivel that no human will ever read. You end up with I pile of people who will never EVER come back to your website.

If you write for people, you will end up working the keywords into the copy in a natural way. Search engines actually prefer content that is well written and designed for human consumption.

If you have a pile of search engine friendly, but human unfriendly junk, I can help you make your site appetizing to humans as well as search engines. And if we need to hire a copywriter to edit the content, I know a few who can help you find the story for your website that will really sell.